Formal and Informal Assessment of Student Learning
Name: Melissa Wetzel
II. Preparation / Development
1. Reflect on your current assessment practices. How have you been determining what students understand and what they are able to do?
Usually at the beginning of a unit, I will give students some sort of pre-assessment worksheet or activity that allows me to gauge students' prior knowledge of the topic. As we move along the unit, I give students various homework assignments that correspond to the material we discussed in class that day. I always collect the homework, look it over, and grade it based on completion. This lets me see students' progress throughout the unit. At least once a unit, I give a quiz that consists of fill-ins, multiple choice, short answer, and usually a diagram or picture that requires analysis or explanation. We review the quiz in class so students can see which material they haven't quite grasped yet. At the end of the unit, I give a test that is mostly in essay format.
2. Describe the concept(s) that you are trying to assess in these assignments. Include a link to the appropriate GSE(s) on RIScienceTeachers. Be sure to include in your description your definition, examples of what it is, why students have difficulty with this concept, and why it is important that you teach this topic.
Concept: Genetics, Patterns of Inheritance, Mendelian Genetics
Students should be able to describe and diagram Mendel's basic patterns of inheritance that resulted from his first experiments with pea plants. They should see that there are different alleles for each gene that account for variability in phenotypes, and that some alleles are dominant and some are recessive. Students may have trouble understanding why the recessive allele does not appear in the F1 generation of true-breeding parents, but then reappears in the F2 generation. This topic is important for students to learn because it describes how they came to look and behave like they do.
3. (and 7) Describe an informal assessment that you selected, modified, or designed to address this concept. Summarize the instructions you gave your students and Include a link to the informal assessment here as well.
This particular informal assessment is an inquiry based activity. I made a powerpoint presentation that walks through the steps of Mendel's first experiments with pea plants. We did this activity step by step as a class. Students were required to make predictions about the results that Mendel saw when he did his first experiment. They then had to try and explain the results that Mendel did see. I had them think of a question they would have about these results and they designed an experiment that would answer their questions. After showing students what Mendel's question and second experiment was, I had students explain how his results came about. Students wrote out each step on a white-lined piece of paper and I collected it for a classwork grade. This activity was done before students were given any information about genetics at the very beginning of the unit.
4. (and 8) Create a formal assessment. Describe this assessment, including concepts, types of items, and how it was assessed. Include a link to a copy of the assessment here as well.
The formal assessment is a five question essay test. Two out of the five questions ask students to describe a topic of genetics, so students have to recall knowledge that they've learned so far this unit. The other three questions are higher-level thinking questions that measure students' ability to apply material that they've learned. One particular question asks students to apply Mendel's data in order to solve two Punnett Squares. When grading this assessment, I was looking for very specific things in students' answers. For example, one question asks students to describe the phases of meiosis. I was looking for correct pictures, labeling, and specific details within each phase of meiosis for full credit.
6. Develop the evaluation criteria (or key) for your informal assessment or link it here. This description should include the assessment's features, how it addresses different depths of knowledge, as well as an explanation of how it addresses a scientific practice related to inquiry
I assessed the informal assessment on a completion basis only. I first checked to make sure all six portions of the inquiry activity were completed. If they were, the student received a 6/6. I then read through the papers more carefully to see which students already have a solid background with genetics. They've learned about genetics in previous grades, so this activity allowed me to see who remembers what. This activity addresses the third depth of knowledge level because students are making and justifying a prediction and designing an experiment they could use to test their prediction. These actions describe examples of scientific practice related to inquiry.
7. & 8. - Already addressed above.
9. For your informal assessment, upload scans of the work of three or four students. The work of each student should be on a different page. At the bottom of each students' page, you should describe the level of student understanding, e.g. high, average, or low, and describe how this is indicated in their answers. An example of how to do this is here. Note: Remember to name the pages you create carefully, e.g. "Smith S10 - High Performing" instead of "High-Performing."
This student is high performing. She knew the answers to the inquiry questions and was able to clearly explain and provide a rationale for her answers.
This student performs at an average level. She didn't get the right answers to the inquiry questions, but she was able to provide a rationale for her prediction that made sense.
This student is low performing. He did not answer the questions correctly or completing. His predictions lack an explanation.
10 For you formal assessment, describe how you think it addressed the concepts you were trying to assess? How did you modify the assessment to address learning differences or special needs?
The formal assessment included five questions that covered the five topics in genetics that we've covered so far in class: Mendelian genetics, Non-Mendelian genetics, meiosis, human blood typing, and sex-linked inheritance. Since students had to explain themsleves in essay format rather than just a multiple choice or fill-in format, I could see exactly where the gaps were in their knowledge of genetics. For example, I could see which phases of meiosis were giving students the most trouble or where on their Punnett squares students had problems. I did not have to make any modifications to the assessment.
III. Analysis / Reflection
11. Use both the informal and formal assessments to describe what you learned about what your students understand about these concepts. Use specific examples from both the informal and formal assessment to illustrate your points. What can your students do now that they could not before, and what do they still need to learn?
The informal assessment told me a lot about what my students already know and remember about genetics from middle school. About half the class knew that when a pure bred tall plant and a pure bred short plant are crossed, all the offspring will be tall. The other half guessed that the offspring will be medium height but most caught on to the patterns of inheritance once we started discussing Mendel's experiments. I decided to not focus too much more class time on Mendel's first experiments since students seemed to be familiar with the material. The formal assessment showed me how well they could apply knowledge about Mendel's experiments to Punnett squares in order to predict the genotypes and phenotypes of offspring. All students did well on the monohybrid Punnett sqaure problem, but a few struggled with the dihybrid problem.
12. For your formal assessment only, select one student characteristic, e.g. ability, gender, age, etc) and compare the relative performance of each group. Hint: Use box and whiskers plots to compare the two groups. What do you conclude from this comparison? Why?
Since this class is split in half between sophomores and juniors, I've decided to compare the performance between the two grade levels. The averages of the juniors' scores was an 81.8% and the average of the sophomores' was 75.7%. This may just be a coincidence that the younger students have a lower average on this test because I usually don't see that the juniors are higher performing than the sophomores. However, it does seem as though the juniors are a little more knowledgeable about how to go about studying for different types of tests, so this could have had an affect on their higher average.
13. Describe any ways in which you involved students in self-assessment. How did you communicate what you learned from your informal and formal assessments to your students? What did they do with this information?
Before giving the formal assessment, students were given many activities and homework assignments that required them to practice making Punnett squares and solving genetics problems. As we corrected these assignments in class, students had the opportunity to correct themselves and hopefully take a note of which topics they needed extra help on or more practice. After doing the pre-assessment inquiry activity with the students, I summarized my findings for them. I let them know that most of them already had prior knowledge about genetics, and because of this we weren't spending a lot of time on the basics of genetics. They noted this information, and a few students who were still unsure about Mendel's experiments came after school for extra help since they knew it wasn't going to be covered in class anymore. I had already left the high school when I analyzed the results of the formal assessment so I wasn't able to share averages for the sophomores and juniors. If I was still in the classroom, I would share this information with them and maybe have the juniors share study skills and tips that they've learned helps them study for biology.
14: Most Important: Compare your objectives for student learning (both in terms of science concepts and practices) to the student learning you observed. What did you learn about your teaching based on the student performances? What will you do differently next time? Why would you make these changes? What, if anything, will you do to improve the assessment instruments?
As far as objectives for science concepts that I wanted students to learn, I think I achieved my objectives very well. The formal assessment showed that students could apply the science concepts to new problems. An objective that I had for practices was engaging students in inquiry learning. I discovered that these high performing honors students enjoy being challenged by this type of activity. It keeps them engaged in the material and forces them to think deeper about the topic. If I were to use this informal assessment again, I would be careful to not share too much information about Mendel and his experiments as we move through the PowerPoint. I caught myself giving some of the answers before students were done thinking, so I would allow for more wait time and have more students share their ideas and predictions.
Formal and Informal Assessment of Student Learning
Name: Melissa Wetzel
II. Preparation / Development
1. Reflect on your current assessment practices. How have you been determining what students understand and what they are able to do?
Usually at the beginning of a unit, I will give students some sort of pre-assessment worksheet or activity that allows me to gauge students' prior knowledge of the topic. As we move along the unit, I give students various homework assignments that correspond to the material we discussed in class that day. I always collect the homework, look it over, and grade it based on completion. This lets me see students' progress throughout the unit. At least once a unit, I give a quiz that consists of fill-ins, multiple choice, short answer, and usually a diagram or picture that requires analysis or explanation. We review the quiz in class so students can see which material they haven't quite grasped yet. At the end of the unit, I give a test that is mostly in essay format.
2. Describe the concept(s) that you are trying to assess in these assignments. Include a link to the appropriate GSE(s) on RIScienceTeachers. Be sure to include in your description your definition, examples of what it is, why students have difficulty with this concept, and why it is important that you teach this topic.
Concept: Genetics, Patterns of Inheritance, Mendelian Genetics
Students should be able to describe and diagram Mendel's basic patterns of inheritance that resulted from his first experiments with pea plants. They should see that there are different alleles for each gene that account for variability in phenotypes, and that some alleles are dominant and some are recessive. Students may have trouble understanding why the recessive allele does not appear in the F1 generation of true-breeding parents, but then reappears in the F2 generation. This topic is important for students to learn because it describes how they came to look and behave like they do.
GSE from RIScienceTeachers: http://riscienceteachers.wikispaces.com/LS3+p2
3. (and 7) Describe an informal assessment that you selected, modified, or designed to address this concept. Summarize the instructions you gave your students and Include a link to the informal assessment here as well.
This particular informal assessment is an inquiry based activity. I made a powerpoint presentation that walks through the steps of Mendel's first experiments with pea plants. We did this activity step by step as a class. Students were required to make predictions about the results that Mendel saw when he did his first experiment. They then had to try and explain the results that Mendel did see. I had them think of a question they would have about these results and they designed an experiment that would answer their questions. After showing students what Mendel's question and second experiment was, I had students explain how his results came about. Students wrote out each step on a white-lined piece of paper and I collected it for a classwork grade. This activity was done before students were given any information about genetics at the very beginning of the unit.
4. (and 8) Create a formal assessment. Describe this assessment, including concepts, types of items, and how it was assessed. Include a link to a copy of the assessment here as well.
The formal assessment is a five question essay test. Two out of the five questions ask students to describe a topic of genetics, so students have to recall knowledge that they've learned so far this unit. The other three questions are higher-level thinking questions that measure students' ability to apply material that they've learned. One particular question asks students to apply Mendel's data in order to solve two Punnett Squares. When grading this assessment, I was looking for very specific things in students' answers. For example, one question asks students to describe the phases of meiosis. I was looking for correct pictures, labeling, and specific details within each phase of meiosis for full credit.
5. Develop the evaluation criteria (or key) for your formal assessment or link it here.
6. Develop the evaluation criteria (or key) for your informal assessment or link it here. This description should include the assessment's features, how it addresses different depths of knowledge, as well as an explanation of how it addresses a scientific practice related to inquiry
I assessed the informal assessment on a completion basis only. I first checked to make sure all six portions of the inquiry activity were completed. If they were, the student received a 6/6. I then read through the papers more carefully to see which students already have a solid background with genetics. They've learned about genetics in previous grades, so this activity allowed me to see who remembers what. This activity addresses the third depth of knowledge level because students are making and justifying a prediction and designing an experiment they could use to test their prediction. These actions describe examples of scientific practice related to inquiry.
7. & 8. - Already addressed above.
9. For your informal assessment, upload scans of the work of three or four students. The work of each student should be on a different page. At the bottom of each students' page, you should describe the level of student understanding, e.g. high, average, or low, and describe how this is indicated in their answers. An example of how to do this is here. Note: Remember to name the pages you create carefully, e.g. "Smith S10 - High Performing" instead of "High-Performing."
This student is high performing. She knew the answers to the inquiry questions and was able to clearly explain and provide a rationale for her answers.
This student performs at an average level. She didn't get the right answers to the inquiry questions, but she was able to provide a rationale for her prediction that made sense.
This student is low performing. He did not answer the questions correctly or completing. His predictions lack an explanation.
10 For you formal assessment, describe how you think it addressed the concepts you were trying to assess? How did you modify the assessment to address learning differences or special needs?
The formal assessment included five questions that covered the five topics in genetics that we've covered so far in class: Mendelian genetics, Non-Mendelian genetics, meiosis, human blood typing, and sex-linked inheritance. Since students had to explain themsleves in essay format rather than just a multiple choice or fill-in format, I could see exactly where the gaps were in their knowledge of genetics. For example, I could see which phases of meiosis were giving students the most trouble or where on their Punnett squares students had problems. I did not have to make any modifications to the assessment.
III. Analysis / Reflection
11. Use both the informal and formal assessments to describe what you learned about what your students understand about these concepts. Use specific examples from both the informal and formal assessment to illustrate your points. What can your students do now that they could not before, and what do they still need to learn?
The informal assessment told me a lot about what my students already know and remember about genetics from middle school. About half the class knew that when a pure bred tall plant and a pure bred short plant are crossed, all the offspring will be tall. The other half guessed that the offspring will be medium height but most caught on to the patterns of inheritance once we started discussing Mendel's experiments. I decided to not focus too much more class time on Mendel's first experiments since students seemed to be familiar with the material. The formal assessment showed me how well they could apply knowledge about Mendel's experiments to Punnett squares in order to predict the genotypes and phenotypes of offspring. All students did well on the monohybrid Punnett sqaure problem, but a few struggled with the dihybrid problem.
12. For your formal assessment only, select one student characteristic, e.g. ability, gender, age, etc) and compare the relative performance of each group. Hint: Use box and whiskers plots to compare the two groups. What do you conclude from this comparison? Why?
Since this class is split in half between sophomores and juniors, I've decided to compare the performance between the two grade levels. The averages of the juniors' scores was an 81.8% and the average of the sophomores' was 75.7%. This may just be a coincidence that the younger students have a lower average on this test because I usually don't see that the juniors are higher performing than the sophomores. However, it does seem as though the juniors are a little more knowledgeable about how to go about studying for different types of tests, so this could have had an affect on their higher average.
13. Describe any ways in which you involved students in self-assessment. How did you communicate what you learned from your informal and formal assessments to your students? What did they do with this information?
Before giving the formal assessment, students were given many activities and homework assignments that required them to practice making Punnett squares and solving genetics problems. As we corrected these assignments in class, students had the opportunity to correct themselves and hopefully take a note of which topics they needed extra help on or more practice. After doing the pre-assessment inquiry activity with the students, I summarized my findings for them. I let them know that most of them already had prior knowledge about genetics, and because of this we weren't spending a lot of time on the basics of genetics. They noted this information, and a few students who were still unsure about Mendel's experiments came after school for extra help since they knew it wasn't going to be covered in class anymore. I had already left the high school when I analyzed the results of the formal assessment so I wasn't able to share averages for the sophomores and juniors. If I was still in the classroom, I would share this information with them and maybe have the juniors share study skills and tips that they've learned helps them study for biology.
14: Most Important: Compare your objectives for student learning (both in terms of science concepts and practices) to the student learning you observed. What did you learn about your teaching based on the student performances? What will you do differently next time? Why would you make these changes? What, if anything, will you do to improve the assessment instruments?
As far as objectives for science concepts that I wanted students to learn, I think I achieved my objectives very well. The formal assessment showed that students could apply the science concepts to new problems. An objective that I had for practices was engaging students in inquiry learning. I discovered that these high performing honors students enjoy being challenged by this type of activity. It keeps them engaged in the material and forces them to think deeper about the topic. If I were to use this informal assessment again, I would be careful to not share too much information about Mendel and his experiments as we move through the PowerPoint. I caught myself giving some of the answers before students were done thinking, so I would allow for more wait time and have more students share their ideas and predictions.